Your Hands, My Voice
by medoty77
Summary: A/U Kuga Natsuki is bored and wants more out of life. Can the talented runaway guitarist Fujino Shizuru fix that? Can Shizuru find what she's been searching for in Natsuki? Definite ShizNat Loooove! Rating changed to "T"...for now
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N)** WOW after reading numerous amounts of fanfiction on my free time (I have plenty now since its summer break for me *Cheers*) I have FINALLY decided to write one of my own. I admit I am not a writer, but as a bored individual I would also like to share some of my ideas and thoughts. So on to my new story!

*Reviews, Helpful Criticism, and Suggestions are all welcomed and appreciated. Please enjoy*

Disclaimer: Nope don't own nothin'….I want ShizNat OVAs…..

References:

Seiyu: similar to a Walmart

Tamago-gohan: rice served with an egg on top, either raw or cooked. Usually eaten with soy sauce mixed it, but instead….Natsuki uses mayo..of course.

______________________________________________________________________________

Any previous day before this was put to shame. On this very day the sun couldn't have been any brighter, the grass any greener, and the sky any bluer. The sun's rays seemed to shine any and every person's worries and woes away. Nature's colors slowly humbled and brought a sense of contentment to the people who were blessed to set their eyes upon the luscious greenery.

Amongst this colorful environment, stood many buildings. To be more precise, it was a couple of high school buildings. Fuuka Academy was a pleasant high school filled with many cheery and talented individuals. The academy was located on an enormous, but isolated island. To reach it, people would have travel across a broad land of sea which took approximately 5 hours.

The beauty of the campus only accentuated this glorious day. Many forests spread across the school and provided the students with the luxury of the most pleasant views. The school was also fairly large thus allowing the 2000 or more students to comfortably attend their classes. Although it was not a well known school or prestigious, it was a known fact that this school was very privileged and produced very good results. Any parent would be overjoyed and proud to see their child be accepted into this school. Every student felt lucky and happy to have received a chance to attend Fuuka Academy.

Well….almost everyone.

An audible sigh left the mouth of a young woman. Seated at a vandalized desk scarred with profanities and doodles of poor attempts of what seemed to resemble motorcycles, sat a young woman. Midnight blue tresses covered the top of the desk as she absently stared out the window with her head on folded arms. The scenery outside only seemed to mock this girl's lethargic mood.

A quiet and secretive, "Psst….Pst….Hey Natsuki!" was heard. A failed attempt to catch the attention of the young woman, resulted in a very annoyed busty redhead. This led the woman to rudely throw a piece of crumpled paper at the other girl's head.

This finally caught the attention of the blue beauty.

"What Mai?!" Natsuki was now very irritated that Mai had stopped her train of empty thoughts.

"Shhhhh… Geez, sorry. Just thought you were falling asleep. I know you're not doing so well in this class so it'd be better of you paid some attention. You know, just trying to be a friend."

This time nothing was said back to her friend. She knew Mai meant well. Mai always meant well. She was just about the only constant thing in her life that genuinely had Natsuki's well being in mind. They had met at the beginning of this school year.

Both Natsuki and Mai met on the ferry on their way to school. As fresh new first years, it was mandatory to attend the class gathering that occurred on the deck of the ship. Of course Natsuki was stubbornly reluctant to go, but a commotion began and everyone on deck began to crowd around the left side of the boat. Truly a brow raising situation, Natsuki made her way to see what the big deal was.

Apparently a young woman with the middle school uniform and spiky black hair had gone overboard. Without a second thought, Natsuki jumped off the side of the boat and over the railings to save her. She swam over to the other child as fast and strongly as she could and firmly grabbed the upper torso to lift her head out of the water. The lifeguards then quickly threw over the life-rings and pulled both back onto the boat.

Unfortunately, the younger of two had stopped breathing. Natsuki was lost. Sure she saved the kid, but what now? She looked upon the crowd to see if anyone here had any idea on what to do next. Then the crowd of students began to part as the redhead Mai pushed and shoved her way through. Mai kneeled next to the middle school student, and leaned her face in.

The next few minutes made Natsuki turn away as she could feel her face burn, and cheeks turn a few shades brighter. Mai had expertly performed CPR to the black haired student, and successfully resuscitated her.

It was because of this fateful meeting, the three of them had become good friends. Mikoto, the black haired middle school student, had become highly attached to both Natsuki and Mai, hence bringing the three of them together. So what made Mikoto feel the need to go overboard? Well, she later informed Natsuki and Mai that, "I saw a really big fish and I was getting hungry! The fish looked good, Yep!"

None of them would ever forget that day.

As quickly as the quiet conversation had started, it had ended. Natsuki turned back to stare out the window and laid her head back down on her neatly re-folded arms.

'Pay attention…no thanks. Who actually cares about this stuff?'

Well Natsuki definitely didn't care. She didn't have to. She…

'I don't give a shit….'

Another loud sigh escaped, but this time it did not go unnoticed.

"Kuga-san! Would you care to explain what has you SO occupied that you must deliberately disrupt my class with your interruptions?"

Painfully slow, 'Kuga-san', lifted her head to meet the eyes of a very angry math teacher. If it was any other day, she would have easily ignored the teacher's whining and continued to stare anywhere, but the old woman's face. For reasons unknown, today did not seem like any 'other' day.

She continued to stare back at the teacher and bluntly stated, "I'm outta here."

With that said, she quickly stood and left the room. It was a swift departure since she didn't have any of her materials or books out on her desk. Why should she? Math was boring, uninteresting, and in all honesty, she seriously sucked at it. She constantly told herself that as long as she was able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide simple numbers, it would be enough to get through life. There was no need for complicated formulas or the unnecessary need to find the area of a damn triangle. Even though math wasn't her strongest subject, she wasn't dumb. On the contrary, Natsuki was actually a very smart individual. She just never properly applied or challenged herself. Her teaches simply called it a "lack of motivation." Math was everything she hated and didn't want. What she wanted was simple, simple, simple.

Hurried steps could be heard throughout the empty hallways. Each step she took didn't seem fast enough for her. She eventually reached the stairway that led to the first floor. Disregarding the danger of causing physical harm to herself, she skillfully jumped the first flight of stairs. This seemed all too easy with her extraordinary athletic build. Even with toned, well muscled legs, and the uncanny ability to perform such acts, the next attempted jump didn't end as well. A clear and very loud "Damn it!" echoed through the halls.

"Stupid stairs, stupid ankles, stupid math, stupid teacher, stupid school," mumbled a very pissed of student. She continued her journey to the school's exit, and eventually reached her destination. She angrily opened the doors, tightly closed her eyes, and screamed, "AH! Stupid Sun!" Apparently even the sun had managed to make her angry. She quickly dashed to the nearby parking lot. Unfortunately, she forgot one very important detail.

"Ah Fuck…Stupid Natsuki." Due to an unexpected accident that involved the crossing of a stray dog this morning, her method of transportation, a Ducati DR XI, was taken into a shop to repair the damages that had 'hurt her precious bike.' A much louder sigh left as she mentally confirmed to herself that she would have to use her feet and walk back to her apartment. Luckily for her, it was not too far from the school. A quick 5 minute drive, or this time, a 20 minute walk.

Although she forgot the fact that her bike was MIA, she did remember something almost equally important.

'Oh yeah, I used up the last of the mayo this morning for my *tamago-gohan. Guess I'll go buy some more at Seiyu*.' A quick detour to the supermarket wouldn't harm her unproductive time. Her vital time consisted of video games, shopping online for lingerie, eating, and well….nothing.

As she walked the crowded streets of Fuuka, she managed to scare away other pedestrians off the sidewalks with her angry scowl and 'Kuga glare.' This allowed her the right of way and the entire sidewalk so she wouldn't have to deal with people bumping into her.

Despite the casual rub of a shoulder that occurred every once in a while, Nastsuki reached the entrance of the supermarket without becoming too annoyed. Before entering the mayo filled sanctuary though, a sweet and blissful melody floated in the air and slightly caught the attention of the young woman. Not even bothering to look in the direction of the soft playing music, Natsuki entered the store with her goal in mind.

_ _

Walking out with a few bags in her hands, she steadily made her way back to her apartment. As soon as she crossed the road, Natsuki noticed an 'ON SALE' sign on the nearby video game store. She began her sudden second detour to check out the reduced prices of her favorite past time, and once again she heard the melodic notes playing in the air. This time it seemed she could not ignore it and took a quick glance in the direction of where the sounds were coming from. Across the other side of the street, she saw a young woman, maybe a year or two older than her, enthusiastically playing a guitar.

There was a small crowd that surrounded her. A few people were even tapping their feet to the beat of the fast-paced song. All were looking at her with interest and some of the audience spared her some change which they threw into the large black and violet guitar case that lay in front of the seated woman.

The first thing Natsuki noticed was the way the woman's fingers lively strummed the instrument and the thin fingers that seemed to sensually roam over the entire neck of the guitar. She could already tell that those fingers were definitely more than acquainted with the strings that produced the energetic notes. The second thing she noticed was the elegant smile that was plastered on her 'perfect' face. Russet-blonde hair swayed and flowed with the wind which only complimented the well proportioned head placed on pale bare shoulders. All in all she was a very beautiful woman with her light colored jeans and tight purple tank top.

The very definition of feminine.

What caught Natsuki's attention the most was the fact that the young guitar player's eyes were shut.

'Hmmm, guess she's that good.'

Without a second glance or thought, Natsuki continued on her way to the game store and entered.

'No, no, no, definitely no' "Ugh, why aren't there any good first person shooters anymore! These all suck!" With that sudden outburst of frustration, she caught the attention of the entire store. Knowing a crowd of people were curiously staring at her now, a light color appeared on the surface of Natsuki's adorable cheeks.

She made a hasty run to the door and exited the small game store.

_ _

Slow, soft, gentle…..sad

Natsuki stopped walking and closed her eyes after hearing this new song. This tune was much different than the previous speedy and happy melody. The song pulled at Natsuki's heart and she could feel it breaking, but she could not understand why it hurt her so much to hear her play. How? How could such a song be produced from the same person who had so joyously played just 10 minutes before?

She began to wonder what exactly was going through the young guitar player's mind. Was she distressed, or simply depressed? No, this song portrayed much more than just that. The emotions felt through the notes represented more than what could be described.

She intently listened to the music, and strangely felt connected to it. From her pink lips, a soft and subtle humming sound began. Apparently the tragic song had affected the gamer-biker-delinquent beauty more than she had thought. This came as a surprise to Natsuki. It has been too long since she had any feelings toward music, and even a bigger surprise that she hummed along. She had given up any and every musical pleasantries long ago.

Ever since….

A slight shake of the head stopped that thought, and once again her thoughts concentrated on the music.

'So sad….so…..'

"Lonely…" It was barely whisper, but held meaning louder than anything she had said all week. If anyone was actually nearby to hear, they would've thought it merely a trick of the wind.

'Why?'

With this one question in mind, her curiosity had sparked. She gently opened her eyes, and slowly turned her head to look at the brown haired beauty once again. This time there was no crowd surrounding the current musician. Most had probably left after the guitar had created such a suffocating atmosphere. Opposite to what others had thought, Natsuki was swimming in this nostalgic feeling. It was almost unbearable, yet she could not lift her feet, so she stood planted to that one spot.

She soon rotated her entire body to properly face the woman. Her midnight blue tresses closely followed behind and swayed along with her.

Everything stopped.

Breathing, thinking, moving, blinking.

All Natsuki could do now was stare.

The once closed eyes of the skillful and beautiful guitar player were now fully opened, and staring straight back into Natsuki's own dazed green eyes. The musician was staring back with a force so intense, it could have easily knocked Natsuki back a few steps if she wasn't so firmly planted.

Anyone would have thought the song currently playing could easily kill one's soul with the feeling of absolute loneliness, but the eyes of the player spoke differently.

They were so alive! So bright!

Why?

How could someone seem so lonely, but look so

'Beautiful…'

That was the only coherent thought running through the blue haired, green eyed beauty.

And pair of rusted-red eyes was the only thing she saw.

Who would have thought this simple gesture of locked gazes and chance meeting could lead to new and wonderful experiences between two very unique women.

______________________________________________________________________________

**(A/N)** And there my dear readers, is the first chapter of my first story.

How do you like? How do you not like?

Not very interested in the latter, but I will take what I can get lol ^_^. Hope you enjoyed the story enough to leave a review so please DO! Everything and Anything is welcomed!

Also if there are any questions, drop a PM and I shall get back to you eventually.

Thank You


	2. Chapter 2

(A/N) Eh, nothing inspires me more than mowing my lawn ^_^

Anyways… Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for all those who have read/reviewed/alerted/favorited my first chapter. I appreciate it a lot and I'm glad those few enjoyed the story so far.

Special shout outs go out to **emtz95, Sora-HIkari, Kittenclaws14, noobsdog, lildevilish, MissIzzyB, Yinyang360, XxAzn HomiexX, **for being my first reviewers ever.

No onto the story and please enjoy!

(One last thing, I have italicized thoughts now.)

(OMFG) I'm** SO** sorry for those who read the previous unedited version of chapter two! I assure you the problem is fixed now…**IM SO SORRY**! For those who have not read chapter two yet…well good. Lol you don't need to know my little mistake…

**Your Hands, My Voice**

Meet Shizuru

Silk russet-blonde waves of hair, pale moon skin, shapely curves, and defined womanly legs. Anyone who had a set of eyes would notice the superior beauty that stood before them. She had such a presence, it was difficult to ignore. Elegance, style, and dignity seemed to be her specialty. Even though she tried her best to blend in with the "common folk" on the boat, it was obvious she was not like most people. Her straight posture and airy behavior probably gave that away. As beautiful as she was in her casual jeans and tank top, she could have worn old torn rags as clothes, and people would think no less of her.

This woman also seemed to have an unapproachable feeling to her as well. Many would have loved to be the one standing next to her having a casual conversation, but it was not an easy thing to do. To say "hello" to a goddess was not a simple task at all. So to no one in particular, the lone woman spoke quietly from her plump pink lips

"My, what a wonderful day"

Yes it truly was a wonderful day. Reflecting quite opposite to how she really felt.

Melancholy is a strange feeling. Even as she was bathing in the sunlight on the deck of a semi-occupied ferry, she could not understand why her heart felt so heavy. She was riding across a shimmering ocean headed towards a new unseen island, full of different opportunities and experiences. This was supposed to be an adventure for her, a brand new chance. One could even consider it a life's restart.

Then why was she feeling this way?

She left! She had abandoned that so called hell-hole of a home once and for all. No longer did she have to live in the shame those "people" had pushed onto her. Her land of her much needed "freedom," was only 1 hour away. What seemed like a year long journey was finally coming to a close. She would reach her new home, and live happily ever after….

Right?

But it seems she still could not stop all these odd emotions. She was always able to manage her feelings, or mask them quite professionally. This time it seemed these emotions could not be pushed down. At least her face never revealed her true intentions.

Once again the ominous question of why appeared. Wasn't she supposed to be glad she left? Happy? Excited even? Well she wasn't feeling any of these cheerful emotions. She instead felt very, very

Tired, exhausted

_Lonely?_

A sarcastic sigh was heard, as she leaned over and rested her head on her arms that had been previously placed on the boat's railings.

'_No, no, no, that can't be. I'm not lonely. Impossible' _

"Ara..."

Dulled scarlet eyes stared out into the vast ocean which didn't seem to provide her with any answers. Thoughts and emotions began to swirl, and perfect tan eyebrows furrowed in concentration. This seemed to be the only sign of betrayal her well trained mask had provided. All this thinking and unnecessary feelings started to upset her stomach. Or maybe it was the seasickness? Well whatever the cause was she need to lie down immediately.

As she was just about to lie down to relieve those frustrating thoughts on the many provided public benches, an announcement was made on the boat intercom.

"Passengers among the ferry to Fuuka Island, I am pleased to announce that we will be arriving very shortly. In approximately 10 minutes you may begin to gather in the docking area to exit."

At the end of this announcement, the woman's lips quirked upward and a strange clenching occurred in her stomach. She then walked to the door to her room and entered. The feeling of apprehension and anxiety overpowered all her previous emotions. A nervous smile now replaced her solemn one as she began to pick up what little baggage she brought with her. A single small purple suitcase, a small black back pack, and a violet and black guitar case were all she carried with her. It was all she could pack with her last minute preparations. The guitar case was a must so that just left only one arm to carry other personal belongings. Travel goods, one pair of extra shoes, toothbrush, shampoo, blanket, clothes, and an emptied savings account stuffed into a wallet was all she needed for now.

So with her few belongings, she made her way to disembark the ferry.

_ _

After a deep breath, and slow exhale of the fresh air of a new land, she scanned her changed surroundings.

"Welcome to your new home, Shizuru."

It was a self-proclaimed welcome, but it felt more meaningful than any other welcoming Shizuru had before. So as she began to roll her suitcase and carry her guitar case, she decided to go take a look around the new town.

She could tell just by looking for about 5 minutes that this place was much, much different than where she had originally come from. Her old home.

Kyoto

A much sadder sigh escaped as she began to reminisce how this whole journey began.

'_No, stop thinking about this. I have left. I can make my own choices now._'

Once again she made her way through town. This time she made a quick stop at a cheap café to satisfy the tea addiction she had developed over the years. It wasn't large but it did draw quite the crowd. It was most likely the atmosphere it gave off. With the big red "open" sign on the front door, it made anyone feel welcomed. There were also many intricate pieces of art posted for all to see on the display window as people walked in.

She sat down on a nearby lounge chair and soon after a lanky, young blonde man came over.

"Hi may I take your order?"

"Yes, I would like to have a green tea please."

After the young waiter left, Shizuru patiently waited for her hot drink. She looked around for a few seconds and saw a small platform behind her. It came as a pleasant surprise but it seemed like it had not been used in years. Did this café use to host live gigs? A small grin appeared on her perfect face. She had never seen a local show before, and this might provide her a chance. A chance for something different. This was something to look forward to.

She took another look around and to her left was an elder business man reading today's Fuuka newspaper.

"Excuse me sir, may I read that when you are finished?"

The man absently nodded and immediately handed over the paper after taking a single look at the rare beauty. A kind look and a quiet thank you were passed.

"Hmm."

'_I wonder where the most popular places are. I must find a place crowded with people soon if I wish to make enough money to pay for tonight's provisions.' _

A quick scan over the paper revealed a particular public area that would provide adequate attention for the newcomer. Shizuru read about the Fuuka shopping district and knew it was exactly what she needed.

_ _

"This looks like a good spot"

Shizuru set up her spot next to a random brick building. She put her single suitcase and back pack against the wall behind her and looked around.

'_Seiyu, a game store, oh, and a high class lingerie shop.'_

"Ara, how interesting."

She examined her surroundings again to see her new "stage" and the attending audience. Just like the newspaper had mentioned, there were plenty of people around. Seeing as this was a great opportunity she could not pass up, Shizuru gently opened her guitar case and pulled out her excellently carved guitar. The glossy shine, the smoothness and vibrant color of the wood and the thinness of the neck matched perfectly with Shizuru's entire demeanor. For lack of better words for an inanimate object...well…the guitar was pretty damn sexy. It was clear that she had properly maintained it and it looked just like when she first got it. Maybe even a little better.

She then placed her undamaged guitar case in front of her, opened it, then sat cross legged on the sidewalk to begin her one woman show.

_ _

She had been playing for only a few seconds, and she had already drawn a crowd. Shizuru decided to start with one of her favorite melodies. It was slow and relaxed. Shizuru always liked to refer to this song as a "musical hug." Whoever listened to this song would instantly feel warmth flow inside them. Some of the audience stared, while others closed their eyes and took in the gentle reassurance the song provided.

Her fingers lightly strummed the guitar, and the other hand was concentrated on the placement of slender fingers on correct chords. She had a ghost of smile on and her eyes were closed. Honey colored hair swirled in air making it seem as if it was dancing along with the song.

It was the picture of perfection.

'_Ara, this is quite uncomfortable'_

Yes, picture perfect maybe, but it didn't mean she felt that way. The ground was rather uncomfortable and rough on her wonderfully round, shapely, smackable ass…..uh……delicate bottom.

'_I believe I am sitting on a rock….'_

Indeed sitting on the sidewalk for all to see was far from her normal and comfortable, but that wasn't the only thing that was bothering her. All of sudden she had this weird nagging feeling in the back of her mind. It was not there a few moments before, but it had randomly appeared. Shizuru decided to just ignore it and her concentration returned to her guitar and song.

_ _

This time a much faster song was playing. It was a song which required more skill, but it was still played without difficulty. Jovial notes resounded with a quick pace, and the audience happily clapped and tapped along. Shizuru's face seemed to glow and radiate a cheery mood. She was smiling much wider than before, but eyes still closed, and the watchers could only stare in awe. Most were listening to the song, but as for others, they were much more interested in looking at the woman in front of them. Some were whispering amongst each other sharing unneeded compliments. Sure, it was flattering. Thanks, but no thanks.

Unbeknownst to the crowd, Shizuru understood one important thing.

This was her show, and it entirely fake.

Her smile, this song, everything. The only thing that made her choose this song was the very fact that she had to appeal to the audience. At this moment, she only needed to gain their approval so that they may leave some of their money in the case before her.

With her it was always like this. She portrayed only what people wanted to see. This act of hers was also part of how this whole adventure started. That was also why she came here. She was looking for something. She was searching for….

For….

Again with the nagging! Though this time it was much louder and harsher. Then she felt something rather strange.

A tingle. Or rather a small electric shock that left a squirmy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

'_Ara Ara, this is becoming rather bothersome.' _

_ _

Wide ruby eyes were now revealed. This sudden feeling became difficult to handle so playing the guitar and ignoring this annoyance was now impossible. It became an internal struggle to choose to either continue to play for the audience or take a break assuming this feeling was merely fatigue.

A frustrated sigh escaped as she was unable to choose the proper course of action.

Her fingers began to instinctively move. Of course she recognized the movements of her own fingers and the song that had begun to play. Shizuru always played this song when things became tough, or her feelings became too difficult to understand. In the past when her heart was in turmoil, she would seclude herself in her room and play this song.

At this moment, she could care less about the now departing audience or the lack of attention she was currently receiving. She felt annoyed with the constant nagging, tired from this trip, and….

Another annoying feeling reappeared.

Loneliness

The song playing accompanied her feelings of loneliness, and for once, her mask had dropped.

Another tingle. This much stronger tingle had sent shivers through her entire body. For some reason, she began to think she was being stared at. She curiously darted her eyes upwards.

A silent gasp and then…

Shizuru was left utterly breathless. She had never seen such a striking person ever before. This other woman was across the street, and held a few grocery bags in each hand. Shizuru could already tell the woman was a student because of his attire. She had on a bright orange vest, a pale blue hoodie, and a short light brown skirt. Under the skirt she could see excellently toned legs, and Shizuru could only assume the woman had an equally athletic body hidden underneath. She had never examined or observed a single person this seriously before.

She noticed shining cobalt-black hair fluttering around the sun-kissed face of the beautiful student, and a second later their gazes locked.

All of a sudden her previous unwelcomed emotions were soon swept away. She was no longer tired, irritated, or even lonely. What remained was a sense of awe and amazement. She had never felt anything like this before. Her body started to feel hot and her blood was boiling.

It was **too** hot. She was swooning, and Shizuru **never** swooned.

Piercing green eyes stared directly into her own red pools. Those eyes seemed so familiar, and it was somewhat reassuring to see. It was the similar loneliness that had moments before clouded her mind, and it was those vibrant and colorful emerald eyes that had washed it away.

The woman across the street was stunningly handsome and absolutely

'_Beautiful'_

_ _

Unknown to both women, the same simultaneous thought crossed both minds.

(A/N) Yes I know it wasn't a REAL chapter 2, but I just had to explain Shizuru's day as well. It's important.

Anyways, I will try to make the span between chapter releases shorter, and eventually get my chapters to be longer. Ah, and no worries. The plot and real story will get a rollin' soon. Right now I just need to get the prologue-ish chapters out of the way, so please bear with me.

**Onegaishimasu!** *bows sincerely*

So keep those reviews/comments/suggestions coming! Please and thank you ^_^


	3. Chapter 3

**(A/N) **Eh Heh…Funny story. Few days ago I decided to take my car out and drive around for shits and giggles. 1 hour and 45 minutes later, I'm lost somewhere in Shibuya. _**Shibuya**_ of all freakn places! Couldn't find the damn expressway to get back home ^_^; So what's a 19 year old to do when she's lost in Shibuya...? Lol go to starbucks, watch people go across the huge cross walk and start the third chapter of my story of course!!

Please enjoy the third chapter!! As mentioned before, the chapter is longer. So here ya go!

*Disclaimer: Nope….Nope….and still Nope

______________________________________________________________________________

**Your Hands, My Voice**

The Beginning

'_Beautiful'_

Unknown to both women, the same simultaneous thought crossed both minds.

______________________________________________________________________________

One step

Two steps

Three steps

***HONK***

This had abruptly awoken Natsuki from the trance she had been trapped in.

"What the hell?!"

She had to blink a few times to actually realize where she had ended up. One minute she's on the sidewalk staring, and the next thing she knows she's in the middle of the road. Without knowing, Natsuki had taken a few steps too many, and now caused quite a traffic jam. Her hands clenched in embarrassment and felt…nothing?

'_Huh? My bag…MY MAYO!!'_

***Splat***

Too late

Attending math class may have been bad, but to Natsuki, losing any amount of mayonnaise could be considered one of the most heinous crimes ever committed. She viciously cursed the vehicle that had smashed her white tasty goodness.

"Damn it!"

Shizuru couldn't help but laugh at the expense of the poor blunette. She amusedly watched the younger woman fume in the middle street, and found it incredibly cute.

On the other hand, once Natsuki had seen the guitar player across the street take notice of the odd predicament she had put herself in, her anger quickly resided. Anger was instead replaced by sheer embarrassment. She felt her blood immediately rush to her face once she realized her source of fascination was staring right at her smiling broadly.

While Natsuki was making a fool of herself, Shizuru was actually enjoying herself rather well. With her right hand covering her obvious laughter, she had noticed the bright color change in the other girl's face.

'_Ara, is she blushing? That look is quite adorable.'_

The now blushing Natsuki saw a strange glint in other woman's eyes and quickly looked away to hide her flushed face. What was that look in her eyes? The maroon eyes were already shining more than the usual person, but that glint almost seemed to mock her.

'_Laughing eyes….? Ridiculous.'_

She immediately became frustrated and grit her teeth to ease her frantic nerves. While her face now looked away from the tawny haired beauty, out of the corner of her eyes, she saw something that rapidly cheered her up. Her second bag had remained unharmed by the passing vehicles! Maybe she didn't lose all hope after all. Relieved by this wondrous sight, she recovered from the shock of embarrassment and used this moment to escape from this horrible incident with what dignity she had left.

Midnight hair trailed behind a retreating Natsuki as she grabbed the bag off the ground and hurriedly took off in the direction of her empty apartment.

_____________________________________________________________________________

'_Well that was certainly something worth watching.'_

That whole scene did seem to improve the once melancholy mood of the guitarist. Shizuru was smiling much wider now and felt her shoulders relax after seeing the flustered stranger. She had never seen anything as amusing as that or remember anyone ever having a reaction similar to the one who had ran away only a few seconds ago.

From what Shizuru could gather while watching the young mayonnaise obsessed woman, the girl was most definitely different from the people she had met in the past. Even the people she met with daily were merely blurred faces to her. Some were even less meaningful and she never even bothered to remember their names or appearance. It was strange that a mere passerby she had seen for only a moment's time had affected her this much.

Shining raven hair, pastel skin, a built body, and the most piercing green eyes she had ever seen. Those eyes held such depth and power to allow Shizuru to forget about her own problems. Just remembering these features made shivers run through her entire body.

'_Interesting.'_

Yes, this girl had undeniably impacted Shizuru more than she wanted to admit. However, she did find the adorable blushing face of the woman too cute to ignore. Thinking she would never see the woman again, Shizuru kept that mental image stored away for memories sake.

Now that the pleasant distraction was out of sight, she continued her playing only to draw another large crowd.

______________________________________________________________________________

In the distance, one could see people parting to make way for the infuriated and screaming teenage girl.

"Fuck, Fuck, Fuck! Just what the hell was I doing!? I looked like a complete idiot!"

Eyes were following the scowling Natsuki, but they made sure not to look for too long or make direct eye contact. Many understood to avoid her or they would be on the receiving end of an undeserved punishment.

Finally making it past the curious crowd of people, Natsuki roughly stomped up the stairs to the second floor where the door to her safe haven was located. She pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the door. A familiar loud slam of a door was heard through the complex which people had already become accustomed to. This was not the first time this teenager had used the door as an outlet for her anger.

"Damn it! First the teacher jumps on my ass for not paying attention, I lost half a week's supply of mayo, and nearly killed myself by standing in the middle of the road with my mouth hanging open. Just great!"

Natsuki knew this was only part of her source of frustrations. That had been the majority of her anger, but it was not the main reason.

She had never felt more embarrassed of herself in her entire life. Especially In front of someone as beautiful as her! For some unknown reason, Natsuki just did not want look bad in front of that one particular woman. She never knew she was capable of feeling so self-conscious in front of anyone.

Ever.

At school, she was one of the most feared students. It was most likely due to gruff exterior and rough personality she displayed. She also had a tendency to punch anyone who came onto her with some lame pickup lines. No one dared to approach her or talk to her besides the few friends she had recently acquired. Other than them though, her peers saw her as a cold hearted, fearsome, but gorgeous person.

She was Kuga Natsuki.

The ever unapproachable Ice princesses and Lone wolf.

She didn't mind the label though. It prevented unwelcomed approaches and she was able to avoid people, so it worked for her. Natsuki had her reasons to be left alone, and that should have been enough.

Mai on the other hand once told Natsuki it was total bullshit.

"_We all know that's all just stupid crap people made up! You're just a big softie at heart." Mai had playfully punched Natsuki on the arm after she said that and Mikoto heartily laughed along. _

Remembering what Mai had said made Natsuki scoff.

'_I am not a softie.' _

After puffing her cheeks and rolling her eyes at this ridiculous thought, Natsuki then made her way over to the refrigerator to put away her remaining mayonnaise. Seeing her remaining mayonnaise brought upon the embarrassing memory and the image of the attractive guitar player. Just remembering the image of the smiling woman made Natsuki's face go hot.

'_Pretty…'_

Her eyes widened. This thought had never crossed her mind about anyone before. She had never paid any attention to anyone else or spare any sorts of compliments, but for some reason the woman would not leave her mind. A shy smile appeared on the slightly blushing Natsuki while she thought about the stranger.

Her golden-brown hair, elegant posture, dazzling crimson eyes, and her brilliant smile.

No, wait. She was certainly smiling, but she was also laughing. At least she tried to be polite about it.

'_Still, she was laughing at me…'_

This had apparently upset Natsuki and snapped her out of her happy reverie. Her face had returned to a normal color, and a scowl replaced the smile. Sure, it was an embarrassing experience but it just got worse now that she had looked back on it and discovered the woman was somehow making fun of her by laughing.

Natsuki felt insulted.

She decided the best way to cool her head would be to let out all her pent up energy on some video games. Just as soon as she turned on her console, a new disturbance appeared.

"Natsuki! How could you just get up and leave in the middle of math class! Do you even know how mad she was? You are so gonna fail if you keep ditching her class!"

"Damn it Mai! Can't I have any privacy?" The only thing that could make this day any worse was a nagging Mai. Natsuki grunted loudly, and turned back to her game.

"Well you could if you just remembered to lock your door." Mai had obviously been running. Her heavy breathing and flaring nostrils determined that. She ran straight over to Natsuki's after school so she could give her a good long lecture about skipping school and being a diligent student instead of the delinquent others saw her as. Every time she lectured Natsuki it went unheard upon deaf ears, but it didn't hurt to try every once in a while.

**Someone** had to do it.

"So are you going to tell me why you ditched class today?"

"No reason really, just didn't feel like being there. I had better things to do."

Mai smirked at this little comment. She already knew Natsuki never really had "better" things to do. She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Oh, so what better things did you do today?"

"Hmm, stocked up on more mayo, checked out some games that were on sale, and…" Natsuki contemplated on telling Mai about her little misfortunate accident, but decided it was better left unsaid to avoid being laughed at. Instead, "I saw someone…" came out. Natsuki instantly bit her tongue. She was surprised she even mentioned this little fact. She wanted to keep everything about the whole incident to herself.

Including the woman.

Mai's bewilderment was clearly shown by the way she was smiling and the way her eyes twinkled. "What do you mean you saw someone? Who? Where? When? Why?"

Damn… Natsuki hated it when Mai played twenty questions. She wasn't much for talking, but she couldn't take back what she said. She'd indulge Mai with the least amount of information as possible.

"No one. Saw her while I was skipping school. It's no big deal." She hoped this would be the end of it, but she was doomed the moment she opened her mouth. Of course Mai wasn't just going to drop the subject.

"Well it's obviously important to you if you even bothered telling me about it." This was very true. Natsuki rarely ever mentioned trivial things to anyone. Even to Mai who she considered a friend. "So, you want to elaborate on this someone you saw."

"Not really. She was just on the sidewalk playing the guitar. I thought she was pretty good, and that's the end of the story."

Unsatisfied by this answer, Mai fished for more answers. "Well, was she pretty?"

Natsuki choked. What the hell kind of question was that? Why would Mai want to know if she was pretty?

"What?! Why? That's got nothing to do with anything!"

"Geez, I was just wondering. Don't have to get all defensive on me." Mai raised her hands in front of her to ward off whatever attack Natsuki may be thinking of. "So, are you going to answer or not? If it's not important, you shouldn't have any problem answering the question." Mai asked again, "Well, was she pretty?"

There was a silent pause. Natsuki took her time to contemplate the question. Mai had a point, but the ever stubborn Natsuki would never tell Mai or admit it out loud.

Another pause, intake of air, and a quiet "Yeah…very" whispered through the room.

The tension in her shoulders relaxed as she said this.

"Wow, uh, that's interesting." This was a huge surprise. Mai never heard Natsuki ever compliment another human being. Of all people, it was some stranger on the streets she had complimented. At school, people were drooling and throwing all sorts of compliments to Natsuki, but they were never returned. Mai knew Natsuki was just uninterested.

Realization hit Natsuki right in the face.

Oh, shit! For the second time in less than five minutes, her mouth had betrayed her thoughts again. Somehow when it came to the mysterious guitarist, Natsuki was unable to keep her mouth shut. Natsuki began to stutter and mumble excuses for her unexpected confession. The ramblings went ignored, but Mai was still curious.

"Ok, so did you talk to her?"

Natsuki just looked at Mai with eyes that clearly said, 'You stupid or something? That's crazy!' then turned back to the T.V. screen to resume her game.

Mai understood this look very well since Natsuki looked at almost everyone the same way.

"You could've at least asked her name. Its fun meeting new people you know. Socializing will do you some good."

Natsuki merely shook her head and rolled her eyes at this comment. There was no need to ask for the woman's name. First off, she never initiates conversations, and socializing was never her thing. Why have a reason to get attached to someone you are never going to see again?

"Well Natsuki, I'm gonna head out now. Gotta feed Mikoto before she starts tearing the leather off the couches! Don't forget we have that essay due in History class ok? Oh, and everyone's getting together for lunch, so make sure you go to school tomorrow," Mai announced as she slowly backed her way to the door to take her leave.

Natsuki glanced at Mai and casually waved bye.

As the door shut behind her ginger haired friend, Natsuki let out a sigh of relief. All she wanted to do now was forget about today and play some gory and violent video games.

***Game Over***

"Damn it!"

Today was not going the way she wanted it to at all.

______________________________________________________________________________

Night had fallen, and the street lights were turned on as people made their way home.

Shizuru quietly observed the people behind the window of a 24 hour restaurant. She always enjoyed people watching. It was always interesting and it allowed her to observe the different lifestyles that were so different from her own. By doing this for many years, she had acquired the proper social skills needed to deal with the people that used to surround her. Accurate observations and trainings also made her very insightful. Shizuru was glad she had gained such useful people skills, hoping they would come to use during this endeavor.

After looking out the restaurant's window for a while now, she turned her head back down to the table and went back to her previous task.

'_1000, 2000, 2567 yen.' _

This was the third time she had counted the day's earnings and every time the same amount would repeat. Shizuru had some money stored away in her wallet, but that was only supposed to be used for absolute emergencies. She wanted to save it and would not use that stash unless she had to.

'_This is hardly enough to pay for lodgings. I only have enough to pay for maybe two days worth of food.' _

Shizuru let out a short and quiet sigh.

'_I suppose it's better than nothing.'_

Even with the reassuring and optimistic thought, the feeling of dread still managed to surface. No one would have noticed the internal struggle occurring in the young woman's mind since a calm countenance was all that showed on the angelic face of Fujino Shizuru. She knew this was going to be a difficult path to tread, but she left prepared to face obstacles ahead.

She debated on what to do about tonight's sleeping location, and came to only one conclusion. In order to save her money she would have to sleep outside.

Another dreaded sigh was released as she came to accept that fact. If she had not escaped the comfort of her own bed and room willingly, she would have found sleeping outside utterly absurd. No, Shizuru was not spoiled. Although she knew she was not spoiled, she did admit she was pampered, so sleeping outside was never an option in her old household.

Well as the saying goes, there's a first for everything.

It was already well past 10pm by the time Shizuru paid the tab for her now empty cup of tea, and gathered her belongings to take her leave.

With a sense of determination, she exited the restaurant.

_ _

The cool night air was refreshing and Shizuru took a deep breath as she prepared to find a good spot to lay her head down for the night.

She was not looking forward to the discomforts of most likely sleeping on a bench, but she was surprisingly excited. With a new found motivation flowing through her, she quickly began her search.

The search did not take long since there was an open and grassy park about 10 minutes away from the restaurant. She walked down the dark trails which during the day provided many joggers. A bench was spotted close by, so she made her way over and set her things down in front of the park's bench.

Shizuru sat down and immediately stood back up surprised by how cold it was. During the day the summer air still lingered, but it was already fall and that was proven after the sun had set.

She pulled out a light blanket from her back pack and securely wrapped it around her body then sat back down. The previous feeling of excitement soon disappeared as she realized how uncomfortable she truly would be on the cold hard bench. She closed her eyes as she made a futile attempt to fall asleep.

Staggered footsteps were heard, but she ignored them thinking the person would soon pass. The footsteps kept getting closer and closer until they had stopped directly in front of her bench.

"Hey there cutie, whatcha doin' out here in *hic* the cold, eh?"

The man reeked horribly of alcohol and cheap cologne. Shizuru grimaced at the unappealing smell and ignored the disturbing presence.

"You come with me I'll *hic* take ya' somewhere warm."

Shizuru was able to calmly ignore his persistence, but the man crossed the line as soon as he grabbed her arm to pull her up. Shizuru made no attempt to stand, but quickly snapped her head to glare viciously at the intruding pest. As soon as she opened her mouth to 'kindly' ask the man to remove his arm, another being made itself known.

"Is, um, everything alright here?" It was a quiet and meek voice, but it had caught the attention of both Shizuru and the other man.

With the little light the street lamps provided, Shizuru could make out a slim womanly figure. She guessed the woman to be about one or two years younger than herself. Her eyes scanned up and saw a shy looking woman with mossy green eyes behind glasses. She had dark brown, short untamed hair. Concern showed through the mousy features, but this clearly would not be enough to ward off the drunkard.

"Tch, go away! Ya bothern' *hic* our fun! Why don't *hic* ya get lost!" The drunkard began his advances toward the shorter girl. The new woman closed her eyes tight and waited what was surely to come, but a few seconds too long had passed. Why had the man not reached her yet? She gradually opened her eyes only to see the man had stopped dead in his tracks, eyes wide open, with his arm twisted behind his back.

"If you would so kindly leave us, I may leave your arm uninjured."

Shizuru was smiling and kept her calm composure.

Everything seemed a little too calm, but that just made it all the more frightening. How could anyone smile while threatening to break a man's arm?

The short haired brunette could feel the dangerous aura surrounding the taller woman, despite the sweet outward appearance she had. Even she felt nervous and had quivered in fear.

The silence from the man just made Shizuru even more irritated. To say she was upset would be an understatement. She hated being bothered by pestering men, and she hated it even more to see men bothering other helpless women. She lifted the arm higher, and a painful cracking could be heard.

"OK, Ok, Ow! Lemme go!"

Shizuru let go and watched the fleeing man with a disgusted face. Once the man's figure had disappeared into the dark shadows, she took a deep breath of the now stink free air, and turned around with her smile back in place to face younger girl.

"Wow that was amazing. Thank you for doing that."

"Think nothing of it, as I am quite used to dealing with the persistence of men. Besides, I couldn't just stand back and watch another person get in harm's way either now can I? Besides it is I who should be thankful to you for coming to my rescue first." Shizuru gave one of her trademark charming smiles that she gave to everyone. It was this smile that had attracted the eyes of many and caused hearts to soar.

The girl shyly looked away and softly said, "but I didn't do anything."

Shizuru gave no response and continued to smile and watch the girl. She was curious as to what the girl would do now after encountering something like that.

Yukino gathered her courage and asked, "It's obviously dangerous out here at night. Why would you be out here during this time?"

"Ara, I could ask you the same thing." Shizuru was truly interested why such a small and helpless girl would also be out in the middle of the night.

"Ah, I just went out to get some coffee for my roommate. She still has some school work to finish up so I thought this would help her." At this the girl lifted her hand to show a tall sized paper cup of steaming coffee.

"That is very kind of you. That person must be very lucky to have such a nice roommate such as you."

Again the smaller of the two looked away while blushing while whispering a quiet thank you.

The short haired woman looked back up and saw the suitcase and blanket that lay abandoned on the brown park bench. She eyed this curiously and could not hold back from asking the taller woman about it.

"Um, I don't mean to pry or anything, but were you possibly planning on sleeping there for the night?" She pointed at the bench after she asked this question. She saw the other woman look back at the bench quickly, and turn right back only to say,

"Yes."

She was surprised by this short answer from the taller woman, but nevertheless it continued to make her wonder.

She liked this charming woman. She was interesting, yet somehow she felt a little off. That thought was quickly discarded while curiosity and worry came over her after thinking about how vulnerable this woman would be if she were to stay outside throughout the entire night. With worry evident in her voice, she nervously asked, "Um, if you'd like to, you c-could come stay w-with us."

"That's awfully kind of you, but I would hate to intrude."

This was a lie.

A well crafted and polite lie that warmed people's hearts. This tactful skill made everyone bend to Shizuru's every whim and wish. This was her ability. A wicked subtly that gently manipulated anyone who allowed themselves to become trapped within her words and graceful beauty. Of course she would love to intrude rather than have a restless night of painful slumber on a bench.

Anyone would.

"No, it's absolutely no problem. I'd feel bad if I just left you out here by yourself. So you're welcomed to stay."

Shizuru lightly chucked at the sincerity of the girl's insistence. She was glad to have met this young woman. The kindness she displayed was heartwarming and reassuring after having experienced such a hectic day.

"Well if it's not a problem, I will happily accept your invitation." Shizuru gave the girl a smile of thanks, which the woman returned with a smile of her own.

"I'm Yukino by the way. Kikukawa Yukino."

"It's nice to meet you Kikukawa-san, I'm Fujino Shizuru."

After this brief introduction, both Yukino and Shizuru made their way with Yukino taking the lead to bring them to where Shizuru would stay the night.

_ _

The walk was generally silent for the most part. Shizuru made some small talk with Yukino asking casual questions about Fuuka Island. Yukino attempted to ask questions of her own, but after curiously asking Shizuru as to why she planned on sleeping outside, she only received a bright smile, a tilt of the head, and a suspicious, "Ara, it's a secret." After that, Yukino respected Shizuru's privacy and stopped asking questions knowing she was not going to get any real answers.

Shizuru did not want to sound rude by avoiding the personal questions, but she also did not feel like sharing her story. For every question only a vague answer was given.

She continued to follow Yukino without hesitation, glad that she was spared from sleeping outdoors. What she didn't expect was to be standing in front of what looked like student dormitories. Not too far off in the distance also stood a few more buildings, which Shizuru assumed to be the high school.

Seeing this school brought upon a wave of reminiscent memories.

'_A little smaller than the one back in Kyoto…'_

Not wanting to think about the past again, instead a single eyebrow rose in anticipation since she had never experienced the dorm life. Once again, Shizuru felt the excitement of experiencing something new.

"Does this building belong to the school here?"

"Ah, yes. My roommate and I both attend Fuuka Academy and this is the school dorms."

They continued their walk up to Yukino's room, and when she opened the door they were both immediately greeted by an ear shattering voice.

"Yukino! I was worried sick! Why are you so--- late…?" The last word went almost unheard. Shock was evident on the surprised face of the roommate. She was staring straight at Shizuru, then to Yukino, the right back to Shizuru. This woman's confusion entertained Shizuru, which she couldn't help but internally laugh at her expression.

"Sorry Haruka-chan. I kinda ran into some trouble and—

"What! What kind of trouble!" Haruka rushed over to Yukino and harshly grabbed her shoulders and began to shake her.

"Are you ok? Were you hurt?"

Yukino embarrassed by this sudden show of concern, blushed and quietly answered,

"H-Haruka-chan I'm alright." Yukino looked towards Shizuru and continued, "The lady here chased the problem away. It was pretty amazing actually."

Haruka stood up straight and let go of Yukino's shoulders to look directly at Shizuru. She had her arms crossed over her chest seemingly as an act of intimidation and scanned Shizuru feet first, then back up.

"I'm Suzushiro Haruka. Who're you?"

'_My, such a forward person'_

"I am Fujino Shizuru. It's nice to meet you." At this self introduction, Shizuru bowed only slightly forward to demonstrate she meant no harm.

Haruku, or to Shizuru's amusement, the boisterous blonde, seemed to accept this since she stepped aside to let Yukino and Shizuru further into the room.

Once they were all settled on the floor and gathered around the table with Haruka's now lukewarm coffee in front of her, the questioning began.

"So, you want to tell me what's going on and why this Fujino is here?"

"Um, well you see… I was getting your coffee and on my way back I saw Fujino-san getting harassed by some man. He was obviously drunk, so I just went over there to see if everything was alright. He thought I was interrupting so he started to come at me but—

Haruka slammed both her hands on the table almost knocking over her coffee and screamed, "What! The nerve of that guy! Yukino did he—

"Haruka! It's alright." Yukino pleaded with her eyes so that the girl may calm down and let her finish the story. "I'm perfectly fine. Fujino-san actually protected me by threatening him. He ran off pretty scared." Yukino turned her head to her right where Shizuru was elegantly seated, and when they looked at each they merely smiled at each other remembering what had happened not too long ago.

"Ok but that still doesn't answer my question as to why you brought Fujino with you."

This time it was Shizuru who had decided to speak.

"Ah that is because Kikukawa-san was concerned about my inappropriate sleeping location, as I was planning on sleeping outside. Out of the kindness of her heart, she invited me to stay with the two of you for the night. I could not refuse such a kind offer so I gladly accepted hoping that her roommate was just as kind as her. I hope it is no bother to you." Shizuru had the casual smile and polite countenance as always.

Haruka was taken aback by the sudden tone of the conversation. She looked away with a light tinge on her cheeks and defensively stated, "Of c-course its fine with m-me!"

Shizuru couldn't help but compare this color to another.

'_Hm, not as cute as the other one…..'_

Yukino stood up and made a motion for Shizuru to follow her. "Well that settles it then. Fujino-san, you can sleep on the other bed. Haruka-chan and I will just share the other one."

"Suzushiro-san, Kikukawa-san, ookini. It's very kind of you to allow me to stay."

Haruka remained stubborn and suspicious of the new comer and just looked away with a direct "Hmph," while Yukino smiled and led Shizuru to the bathroom so she could change into her nightwear.

_ _

After everything was settled and Shizuru was now safely tucked away in the warmth of the blankets and soft comforts of the bed, she felt she could finally relax. Shizuru took a deep breath, and exhaled the day's stress away. She slowly closed her eyes and allowed her mind to drift. Of course doing this only led to pleasant thoughts about a blushing blue haired beauty. A pleased smile appeared on Shizuru's relaxed face as she remembered what had happened earlier today.

As she continued to think about the girl again, she felt the odd sensations return in the pit of her stomach. Shizuru noted that the sensations were not unpleasant, just different. With a quiet sigh, Shizuru began to quickly drift off to sleep. Considering all that had happened today, it did not come as a surprise of how mentally and physically tired she was.

'_Fufu, I wonder what tomorrow will be like…'_

With that final thought, Shizuru was able to peacefully fall asleep and dream happily about orange school uniforms and sparkling green eyes.

____________________________________________________________________________________

**(A/N) **Yeah, sorry this didn't get released as early as the other ones. Just in this one week I decided to join a softball team and a band (I play drums…but I'm writing about a guitar, so sorry if I make musical mistakes…**bleh**). So that kinda sucked up most of my time.

Oh, and fortunately I got back home safely from Shibuya…lol thanks for asking ^_^

As always reviews, comments, suggestions, are **greatly** appreciated!!


	4. Chapter 4

**(A/N)** Hmm, what to say. First I'll say Thank you all for those who reviewed!! I was pleasantly surprised when I saw how many reviews I received for chapter three. It made me so excited that I decided to dedicate some time to make fanart lol.

http:// me-doty-77. deviantart. com/art/First-step-Ch-1-and-2-126449459

(Please remove spaces) It's my first submitted fanart on DV lol.

Please enjoy another long chapter!

**Your Hands, My Voice**

**A Night at the Park**

_Everything seemed innocent enough at first. Laughter filled the air, and hands gently grasped each other. Then everything seemed to take a turn. The peaceful atmosphere soon passed as a new scene began to play._

_Underneath slender fingers, soft and heated skin passed against gliding hands. With an undetermined path, the hands wandered aimlessly. Up slim shoulders they went, up a vulnerable neck, then eventually cupping red cheeks. They were so smooth…so…. _

_Thumbs caressed the heated skin but her vision stopped at the chin of the unknown figure. Everything else seemed to become a blur… and why was everything spinning? _

Shizuru sat up with wide eyes, sweating and panting.

*pant* _'Ah, a dream?'_ *pant*

It may only have been a fleeting dream, but the realism to it wouldn't pass. Shizuru brought her sweaty hands together and remembered what she had just experienced in the dream. She then cupped her own cheeks only to discover she herself had become quite flushed. It was just dream, but she had not recall ever feeling so worked up before. There wasn't even any intimate touching or kissing involved, but the feeling of the skin in her dream was enough to make Shizuru's skin burn.

Who was this mystery person in her dreams? She tried to remember the appearance of the person, but the dream had already started to fade from memory. All she remembered was how the body felt on her lithe fingers.

The rest of her body began to heat up again.

'_Ara, it seems that I am in need of a shower…'_

As she tried to get out of the bed, it appeared the dream had sent her body into an unconscious fight with the blankets. Eventually untangling herself from the blanket's hold, she quietly made her way over to her single suitcase that lay in the far corner of the room. Careful so that she would not disturb the other two women in the room, she slowly zipped open her suitcase and took out some new clothes to bring with her to the bathroom.

Once she entered the decent sized bathroom, she hurriedly shed her dampened clothes. Her body still felt hot, so she decided a cold shower would suit her best. She turned on the shower and let the cold water run down her body. The cold water did wonders to cool her body, but her mind was still filled with the thoughts of the invisible body beneath her. The thoughts were not disappearing so she turned the water temperature as cold as it could get, and shoved her head underneath. She began to shiver and goose bumps ran up her arms, but this seemed to have worked. She was no longer thinking wayward thoughts, and decided she had quite enough of the chills going through her body.

She quickly dressed and dried her hair. She exited the bathroom and searched for a clock and saw that it was 6:45 am. She decided it was about time leave since timing was everything in order to get a good crowd.

Finding a piece of paper and pen she began to write a note with her sophisticated handwriting.

_Suzushiro-san and Kikukawa-san,_

_Thank you very much for your kind hospitality. It saved me a great deal of discomfort which I am grateful for. I am sorry to have to say my goodbye through this note, but I would like to properly thank you at a more appropriate time. When you are finished with school, come meet me at the shopping district. I would like to treat you both to some tea if you'd like. Again thank you for all you have done._

_-S._

Shizuru left the note on the table along with the omelets left for the two residents of the room. She went back to the room and quietly picked up her things. She silently thanked the women again and discreetly left the student dorms with her trusty guitar in hand.

Inside a dark room located at an apartment not too far away, a lone figure is seen tossing and turning in bed. It seems another woman is also having a fitful dream, but of a different sort.

_A small little girl is sitting on the floor with her head lying on top of a white sheeted bed. _

_Why…..why? _

_Why did you have to do that? Why are you leaving….?_

_Please no! NO!_

_This is your fault….all your fault!!! _

_If you hadn't done that she wouldn't…..she wouldn't…._

_She wouldn't have…!! _

"AHHH!!!"

Natsuki sat up drenched in sweat and held her head to stop the pain.

'_Why…why am I dreaming about that again…?'_

She looked around the room and saw her clock in bright green numbers telling the time and date.

'_Oh, I see…so it's today…'_

Natsuki lay back down and stared at her clock. In neon green lights, it read 6:35am. She still had about one and a half hours before school would start. Not really wanting to get up yet, she continued to lie in bed with her forearms over eyes.

'_Every damn year, I have to replay that stupid dream over and over again…' _

Although the years had passed, and she was now a healthy independent high school student, there was just one thing she couldn't forget. She bit her lip to keep it from quivering and prevented the overwhelming feelings that were about to break loose. Natsuki wasn't one to let weakness show, and she wouldn't start now.

Natsuki finished drowning her emotions, and decided to take her stress out on something more productive. She walked over to a room a little further down and hastily entered. She quickly discarded her sweat drenched oversized shirt, and put on a sports bra and tight work out shorts. She walked over to a box and pulled out tape and began to cover her hands with the sticky material. Seeing that her fists were well protected now, she began to furiously punch at the heavy bag in front of her. Punch after punch after punch, the bag swayed back and forth with each enraged hit.

'_Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!'_

All her anger and frustration was put into every punch. With each hit, her delivery became harder, faster, and stronger. Sweat dripped from her furrowed brows and glistening back. Natsuki kept this up until she felt the tape on her hands begin to tear and knuckles burn. She did not stop until she finally saw blood spots appearing on the bag after every punch. She abruptly stopped and looked at her fists disappointed. The skin on her knuckles had been rubbed raw. Normally this wouldn't have stopped the angered Natsuki, but she knew she couldn't keep this up if she wanted meet with everyone at lunch as Mai had asked.

Ignoring the pain that started to sear through her hands, she clenched them as tight as she could, turned to the side, and finished the work out with a final powerful kick.

The kick sent enough force keep the bag swinging for while. After the delivered kick, Natsuki fell over physically exhausted.

She lay on the ground too tired to do anything except let out a single profanity, "Fuck…"

Making herself numb through physical exhaustion was the only way to keep the wanted thoughts at bay. The pain her body felt would make her weary which made everything else shut down. This way she would not have to remember or think about anything else. All her brain needed to do was concentrate on pushing through the pain to get up and get through another boring day of school.

Natsuki stared up at the ceiling panting heavily for a few more minutes. She decided she had spent long enough swimming in her own sweat and had enough strength to take a quick shower.

By the time she had finished her shower and preparation for school, it was already 8:05 am. School had started 5 minutes ago, and she was not looking forward to the yelling she would receive. If she had her bike she'd be able to get there in five minutes only making her ten minutes late, but the mechanic told her it would not be ready till later today.

With a disappointed sigh, she roughly picked up her bag and made her way to school.

_ _

The door to the classroom opened slowly and to everybody's amazement, Kuga Natsuki walked in. Everyone's gaze followed Natsuki from the moment she entered to the moment she sat down at her desk in the back of the room. It was a rare opportunity for her classmates since she almost never attended first period. To her it was a waste of time, and much too early for her to be up. The classroom erupted in quiet whispers and murmurs as they excitedly talked about how strange it was for her to actually attend first period albeit 35 minutes late. Even the teacher had to take a few moments to collect her thoughts before she turned her attention to the rule disregarding student.

"Kuga-san, I hope you know that you are 35 minutes late to class, which makes this the fifth tardy this month. After school today, I expect you serve detention by cleaning the school grounds."

Natsuki merely nodded her head without any kind of rebuttal.

The teacher stood there gaping for while until she finally said, "What? No come back?"

Natsuki sighed loudly making sure the whole class heard it. She was definitely not in the mood to be doing this. She didn't feel like fighting or arguing, no, today she just felt like being left alone.

She shook her head with an expressionless face saying no to the teacher's unprofessional question. She really didn't want to fight the teacher with her snappy come backs. Today she would let the teacher have her way.

_ _

Although she received the little scolding from her teacher in the morning, Natsuki's other classes passed by with no problem. Before she knew it, the bell rang signaling the end of morning classes and the start of lunch.

"I'm surprised you didn't fight back with that teacher. She was pretty rude." Mai had appeared beside Natsuki along with two other familiar faces.

"Yeah I was too, but I guess you're finally coming around!" Chie Harada, another classmate, smacked Natsuki on the back jokingly. Natsuki and Chie weren't exactly friends. They were more acquaintances through the same friend, which was Mai. This didn't mean they didn't get along, it just meant they never established the friend status, but that was fine with each other. Having lunch together as a group was alright once in a while. Today was one such occasion.

The second classmate Aoi Senoh slipped her hand through Chie's arm and laughed at Chie's remark. Aoi had the same status as Chie in Natsuki's mind. She liked both of them, but was far from being close buddies. Though she herself had not established a friendly relationship with the two, she did admire the two's closeness. She'd admit they both looked 'cute' together.

Natsuki however had no use for such close relationships.

Again, thoughts from this morning's dream began to invade her mind.

"Natsuki, are you listening?" Mai poked Natsuki's side which elicited a girly and very non-Natsuki like squeal.

"Damn it Mai! Don't DO that…." She didn't mean to sound so harsh, but she was in the middle of some intense thinking.

"Uh sorry, didn't know you were that ticklish." Ignoring Natsuki's abrasiveness, the three girls laughed at the little squeal Natsuki had unintentionally let out.

"Anyways, as I was saying, Mikoto and Nao are going to meet us at field so let's hurry and get going. You know how Mikoto gets if she doesn't get her food." Mai let out a nervous laugh as Chie and Aoi nodded in agreement. Natsuki continued her walk with a blank face where they eventually made it outside.

Natsuki, Mai, Chie, and Aoi met up with the already waiting Mikoto and Nao and all together sat down. Everyone began to pull out their lunches except Natsuki Mikoto. Mai willingly took the responsibility to cook Mikoto's lunch in order to satisfy Mikoto's large appetite. Mai handed Mikoto the large lunchbox made especially for her, and Mikoto gratefully took it and began her feasting.

Natsuki didn't have a lunch today because she was, well, preoccupied this morning. During the times she'd forgotten her lunch she would usually buy a sandwich covered in mayonnaise, but today she had to use her money to pay for the bike repairs.

Unfortunately someone had noticed Natsuki's empty hands.

"Hey Natsuki, you trying to lose weight or something? Guess you have been gettin' a little round lately."

Ah, Nao.

How to describe the smartass middle school student Nao. Although all Nao seemed to do was push all of Natsuki's buttons, Natsuki could never hate the younger girl. It was more of a respect-hate relationship with her. Between them it was constant bickering and arguing, but none of their fights were ever taken to heart. To them, their little quarrels were their ways of expressing themselves to each other. They were both headstrong and stubborn girls, so when they were put together, it was always interesting to watch. The rest of group found it amusing to see them verbally assault each other knowing they never really meant it.

But today, no, today Natsuki had nothing to say back to Nao's snide remark. Instead Natsuki weakly shrugged her shoulders and said, "Guess so."

Jaws dropped.

The group was staring wide-eyed, mouth opened, and lunches abandoned. Well except Mikoto. She was still stuffing her face, oblivious to what had happened. As for the other four girls, they all looked at the blunette with the same thought racing through their mind.

'_Who are you and where is Natsuki?!' _

Natsuki unfortunately noticed the odd stares and awkward silence. Was it really that strange for her to not say anything back? I guess it was. After all Natsuki had never turned down any fight with Nao. Not until today that is.

Natsuki finally had enough and snapped back, "What?"

"N-Natsuki? Are you ok?" Mai was stuttering and confused as to why Natsuki had been acting this way.

Natsuki just shook her head, and leaned back on her arms looking up at the sky and answered with, "I'm fine."

Mai being the worry wart asked again, "Are you sure? You've been kind out of it all day. Even this morning with the teacher you-"

"I said I'm fine. Don't worry about it." After cutting off Mai, Natsuki gave a small smile to reassure that everything really was fine. Well, as fine as it could get at least.

"Tch, she's probably just constipated or something. Hurry up and take shit Kuga, because this party's no fun."

Everyone then turned their attention to the other younger red head and gaped at the very inappropriate comment. The group's heads, besides Mikoto's, kept going back and forth between Natsuki and Nao. Again they were shocked at Natsuki's inability to fight back. All Nao received was a short lasting glare.

Something was definitely wrong.

Nao was fed up with the silence and finally announced, "Well I'm gonna go chat up some guys. See ya around." With that Nao quickly packed up her lunch and left the group after seeing her verbal sparring partner was 'out of it.'

Natsuki let out sigh and continued to stare up at the passing clouds. She just didn't feel like dealing with anything today, and wanted to be left alone. Why couldn't anyone understand that?

Although any chance of conversation quickly died, the rest of the lunch passed by without much trouble. After the bell signaling the start of afternoon classes rang, Mai pulled Natsuki aside before they reached the entrance of the classroom. Mai wanted to get down to the problem and find if there was anything she could do to help.

"Hey, afterschool you wanna hang out a bit before I go to work?"

Natsuki knew exactly what Mai was trying to do. She appreciated the thought, but it was unnecessary.

"Nah, can't. I have after school detention today, and then I have to pick up my bike after that."

Mai's disappointment was clearly written on her face and in the tone of her voice as she said, "Oh, I see."

'_Damn…'_ Natsuki hated it when Mai had that face. She felt bad for being unable to express the cause of her distress but she wanted to let Mai know that things were really ok and she didn't have to worry about anything.

"Hey, how about I pick you up from work and take you home today? My bike's been fixed and you haven't ridden it before right?"

At this, Mai's head perked right up and quickly answered "Yeah ok! Um, I get off around 6 today so you can pick me up then!"

Natsuki mentally laughed at the quickness of Mai's recovery, and nodded that she had understood the information.

_ _

Afternoon classes rolled around and it was finally last period, and unfortunately, one of Natsuki's most hated classes besides math.

Music class.

She hated attending music class for two reasons. The first reason was the bitch-of-a-teacher, Tanaka-sensei. Whenever Natsuki actually decided to attend class, she would immediately be thrown out of the classroom. Why? Well that leads to the second reason she hated music class.

She hated singing.

Well she didn't necessarily hate singing itself. What she hated was what it painfully reminded her of.

Natsuki would always refuse to sing along with the class which made Tanaka-sensei angry with her and then throw her out.

"Come on Natsuki, you went to all your other classes. You can at least finish today with a full attendance record." Mai had continued to urge Natsuki to go to music class and she finally gave in.

By the time Natsuki and Mai reached the classroom, the rest of class was already seated in their usual spots. But something in the room seemed a little off.

Where was the damn teacher?

As soon as Natsuki and Mai sat down the assistant principle came barging through door.

A loud coughing noise caught the class's attention, and then the assistant continued with, "Eh, well class, I am here to announce that Tanaka-sensei will no longer be able to teach. She has decided to take maternity leave, so a new teacher will replace her."

'_Oh, yeah. Damn teacher was knocked up….forgot about that.' _

"I am here to help welcome your new music teacher. Please enter."

The door opened, and slowly a figure appeared through the door. The entire class was silent as they watched the new teacher make her way over to the podium in front of the class. As she finally stood up straight and properly faced the class, everyone held their breath. They were all waiting to hear the name of their new beautiful music teacher.

"Hello everyone. My name is Ahn Lu. I'm excited to be here and I look forward to teaching you guys as your new music teacher." She tilted her head slightly and gave a bright friendly smile.

A little too friendly in Natsuki's opinion.

A few seconds of silence passed until the whole class erupted into a loud applause. Apparently Natsuki wasn't the only one who shared a deep hatred of the previous music teacher. Even with a new pretty face, music class was still music class, and Natsuki would still continue her disobedient ways.

The class finally quieted down after a few minutes of kind coaxing from the new teacher Ahn Lu. Now that the class, not including Natsuki of course, had their undivided attention on her, Ahn started her lesson.

"I see you have been practicing a new song. Shall we begin….?"

Through the many pairs of legs that blocked her view, she could see students filling the sidewalks. She asked one of the many men surrounding her for the time and was told it was a little past three pm. It took about an hour later until she saw the familiar mousy features of a short haired woman.

"Hello Fujino-san, sorry it took so long. I had to stay after school for an hour to help with the student council. Unfortunately Haruka-chan won't be able to make it since the Executive board meeting is still in session." Yukino bowed in apology which was quickly waved off and returned with a polite smile.

"Ara, it's not a problem. You'll just have to thank her for me after we are done."

The two shared a light laugh and then made their way to the nearby restaurant.

"I'm glad you came to me today. I would not have been able to forgive myself if I never had the chance to properly thank you again."

"Really, it's no big deal. I'm sure anyone would have done the same." For some reason, this comment caused an awkward silence between them.

'_Not everyone…'_

Not wanting to prolong this feeling Yukino casually asked, "Uh, Fujino-san, so how was your day?"

This question seemed to bring back the usual Shizuru and she happily answered with her delightful smile, "Very well actually. Today seemed to go smoothly and I now have enough money to pay for tonight's lodgings with money to spare. So it is my pleasure to treat you today."

The way she looked at Yukino left absolutely no room for refusal, so Yukino just went along with it not wanting to upset her new companion.

The two eventually reached the restaurant Shizuru had previously visited the night before. She had not paid attention yesterday, but now that she was in a more pleasant mood she noticed the restaurant was called Linden Baum.

Yukino and Shizuru took a seat at a table located next to the window. After Shizuru placed her belongings on the floor beside them, they quickly scanned the menu and decided to both get the strawberry cake with milk tea for Yukino while Shizuru ordered her cake with green tea.

Soon after ordering they began light conversations that included Yukino's daily school life and the strange antics of Haruka-chan she had experienced in the past. While Yukino did most of the talking, Shizuru preferred to listen. This went on for quite some time until they were interrupted by a new guest.

"Ah, Yukino-san. What brings you here today?" Mai walked over to Yukino and Shizuru's table with a pleasant smile. She curiously eyed Shizuru wondering who this woman was.

"Oh, Mai-san? I'm just enjoying some tea with-

"Fujino Shizuru," she put her green tea down and smiled so she could introduce herself. "I owe Kikukawa-san so I am treating her today as a token of my gratitude."

Yukino moved over to make room so Mai could join their table. After Mai was comfortably seated she also introduced herself, "I'm Tokiha Mai, and I actually work here. It's nice to meet you Fujino-san."

Shizuru looked Mai over in her waitress uniform, but seemed to stop at a certain unavoidable area.

'_Ara maa, she is quite endowed….fufu…' _

Mai being the ever curious person couldn't help but ask this newcomer a few questions.

"I've never seen around here before. You new here?"

"Yes you could say so since this is my first time being in Fuuka."

"Hm, so how come you came here? Where are you fr-

*Vrooom*

Before Mai could finish her interrogation, an obnoxious but familiar engine roar was heard of in the distance. Yukino and Mai didn't even need to look over to see who it was as they already knew the soon to be approaching figure. Shizuru however looked out of the window and saw a blue motorcycle recklessly pulling into the parking lot. She also saw something rather intriguing when the rider swung her leg over to dismount the bike.

'_Blue….how cute.'_

Now that the rider was standing upright and no longer unintentionally revealing her undergarments, she took off her reflective red helmet and shook out her raven tresses.

'_That girl.'_

Immediately, Shizuru had recognized the dangerous rider as the girl she saw yesterday. She had the same dark hair and bright school uniform on. Ever since she pulled into the parking lot, Shizuru's eyes had not once left the approaching woman.

"Haha, guess my ride is here." Mai rubbed the back of her head nervously and laughed.

A little bell atop the door signaled someone had entered the restaurant. Shizuru's gaze waited at the entrance so she could get another look at the woman.

"Heey! Natsuki, over here," yelled Mai and waved at Natsuki to get her attention. As soon as Mai said her name, Natsuki looked in the direction of the annoying yelling, and again felt everything in her mind freeze.

All her attention was diverted to the set of red eyes belonging to the woman behind Mai.

Once Natsuki remembered how to breathe, a million questions started to run through her mind.

'_W-wh-what is SHE doing here? Why are Yukino and Mai there with her? Are they talking about me? Why is she looking at me? Damn it she better not be telling them about what happened yesterday… Is she laughing again?'_

Indeed Shizuru was laughing, but it was not an obvious thing. She brought her tea cup up to hide her smile, but the wrinkles on the side her eyes displayed her amusement. The flabbergasted expression of the tense woman was just too cute.

Natsuki was less than amused. She felt her cheeks heat up, from embarrassment or anger, she didn't know. What she did know was that she needed to get out before she made a fool of herself yet again. She knew this, yet her feet would not move. Natsuki kept her gaze on the woman before her, and Shizuru did the same to Natsuki. It was a battle neither wanted to lose.

This continued for what seemed like hours, but both of their concentration was broken when Mai started to call for Natsuki again.

"Natsuki what are you doing? Get over here!"

Natsuki wanted to scream out loud "Hell no!" but instead chose to go with a more silent way. She realized her legs her functioning again so she turned about face to make an exit. She opened the door and left the restaurant leaving Mai behind to come after her.

"Uh, sorry guys I gotta go! See you at school Yukino-san. It was nice meeting you Fujino-san!" Mai stood up quickly and politely bowed to them then ran after the flustered Natsuki.

Shizuru watched Mai chase after Natsuki then jump on the motorcycle on the seat behind her. She saw Mai's arms wrap around the thin waist, and strangely felt her eye twitch in annoyance.

What? No, no, dust must've got in. Yes, that's it. Dust got in her eye.

The feeling was waved off as a happier feeling came over after discovering something very interesting.

'_So her name is Natsuki.'_

Natsuki and Mai reached the dorms and when Mai dismounted the bike she questioningly asked Natsuki, "Why did you rush out of there like that."

"No Reason."

Natsuki was looking down at the ground, which meant she was obviously avoiding the question.

Mai continued to stare at her knowing nothing more was going to come out of her blue haired friend.

"Look Mai, I'm just gonna go now, I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

Mai could see the distant look in her eyes she had at school return instantly. The solemn look in her eyes pulled at Mai's heart, but she knew there was nothing she could do. She felt guilty at her helplessness and softly said, "Alright then, and Natsuki…I hope you feel better. I don't know the reason, but you've been down today so I guess all I can say is cheer up alright?"

At that moment Mai felt compelled to hug the cold beauty thinking that she may share some of her own warmth to help her mood.

Natsuki of course was surprised at first, but allowed the short comforts of the rare physical affection. When Mai finally released Natsuki, she revved her engine and skidded off.

As she was zooming down the street, she realized how good it felt to ride her motorcycle again even it if was only missing for one day. Deciding she would rather be out on the roads still, she continued to ride the speeding machine through town for a while longer.

_ _

The sun had long set, and now the moon ruled the sky. If it were not for the dark foreboding clouds that hindered the moon's glow, it would have been a perfect night.

Natsuki stopped at a small park somewhere close to her apartment and looked up to the sky.

'_Looks like it might rain.'_

She turned her head to look in the direction of her apartment and still had no desire to return to her vacant room. Natsuki got off her bike and walked around the deserted park. A few minutes of walking led her to some abandoned swings and a set of slides. She walked over and as she reached the swings, she cautiously sat down to test the swing's strength. Seeing it could indeed hold her weight, she began to kick her legs quickly gaining momentum. Being on the swings only reminded her of early and better years. She had been avoiding her thoughts of the past all day, but now it was just too hard to stop the invading memory.

_Many children crowded the local park. Some gathered around the sand box and others were energetically swinging with their legs high in the air. The parents watched their children from the side while occasionally chatting with the other adults. Children's laughter filled the air, but amongst them all, one child's laugh and high pitched voice stood out the most. _

_A small five year old child with tiny blue pigtails stood proudly atop the tallest slide. Gathered around this specific slide, was a moderately large group of children about the same age. They were all applauding, dancing, and singing along with the young park diva. The child continued this show for some time until she lost her footing and began to fall._

"_Natsuki!"_

_A woman with the same midnight-blue hair rushed forward and caught the descending child just in time._

"_Natsuki! How many times do I have to tell you to be careful! You know better than to be standing on top of the slides like that!" The woman placed Natsuki safely back on the ground and kneeled down to her level._

"_But-but mommy, I was just trying to be like you! I was on stage dancing and singing and it was so much fun!" To accentuate her point Natsuki threw her hands in the air with a big smile._

_Natsuki's mother sighed out of frustration. "Natsuki I know its fun, but it's also dangerous. I worry about you so promise mommy you won't do that again ok?"_

_Natsuki dejectedly looked down and gave a quiet "Okay..."_

"_That's a good dear. Now how about we go get some ice cream?"_

_After hearing this Natsuki immediately perked back up and grabbed her mother's hand to drag her to the nearest ice cream stand. The dangerous encounter was soon forgotten and replaced by the sounds of laughter and messy ice cream smiles._

This memory brought back a wave of emotions Natsuki had been holding in all day. She had stopped swinging and instead gripped the chains with all her might. Natsuki had also closed her eyes so that she may wipe those memories from her head, but of course this task was impossible. As saddening as the memory may be, she still held on to the precious moments she could no longer relive.

She turned to stare at the old slide. Looking at it made her angry and frustrated. The stupid slide had brought upon all these unwanted memories she had tried so hard to forget. Natsuki suddenly felt as if the thing had been mocking her the entire time, and that was something she would not stand for.

She got up from her seat on the swing and angrily walked over to the rusted slide. Deciding she'd vent all her frustrations on the thing, she lifted her right leg and powerfully kicked one of the supporting beams. Again and again she continued to kick the slide occasionally succeeding in lifting the beams off the ground. The slide rocked, swayed, and made horrible rusted noises, but Natsuki heard nothing.

'_Stupid slide. What was so great about you anyway? I should have never…'_

Even though the screeching noises grew louder and plenty of dents marked the slide, Natsuki would not stop. Tears threatened to fall but she kept up her relentless beating of the old, creaking metal. It seemed she would not stop until the thing was completely and utterly destroyed.

As Natsuki was about to deliver the final breaking kick, a distinct accented voice halted her attack.

"You shouldn't do that. Although it's old and worn, it still stands for the children's sake. That is something that should be admired."

Natsuki turned around with surprised wide eyes.

She had been caught.

Natsuki heard rustling leaves which meant the person belonging to the lifting accented voice was approaching.

As soon as the mentioned figure had appeared into the light of the nearby lamp post, Natsuki felt her breath catch and throat tighten.

Her! The same person from yesterday, the same person from the restaurant, and now here she was again. How this person managed to see Natsuki at her worst was beyond her.

Shizuru continued her slow approach toward the stunned Natsuki. She took a couple more long strides and stopped a few steps in front of the surprised blunette.

"Ara, we meet again." She kindly smiled at her and clasped her hands behind her back. Shizuru continued to stare into the wide green eyes, and waited for any kind of response. She observed the beauty before her and noticed she was scared stiff.

'_Fufu, like a little frightened puppy after being caught doing something bad.'_

"I believe we have not been properly introduced. I am Fujino Shizuru. May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?"

Natsuki was still standing there like a statue unable to speak and lacked the capability to form any complete thoughts.

'_What is she- who- she saw me kick- why is she-'_

Natsuki's mouth started to open and close like a gaping fish as she attempted to find her words.

Shizuru noticed the younger girl struggle to form words and saw this act adorable. Not being able to help herself, she covered her mouth with her hand and lightly laughed behind it.

Natsuki closed her mouth and was able to function again once she heard the laughter.

Her angry emerald eyes looked into Shizuru's own molten-red eyes and yelled, "What's so funny!"

Hearing the younger girl finally speak stopped Shizuru's laughter and replied, "Ara, I was merely admiring how cute you look when caught." This was the second time she had seen the girl in an embarrassing situation. First was the street incident and now this.

Along with witnessing the girl's embarrassments, Shizuru had also been blessed with same lovely blush.

At Shizuru's very direct comment, Natsuki's face turned a full red.

"Wh-What are you saying!" Natsuki's back now faced Shizuru so she could hide her rosy face.

Shizuru felt a chuckle coming on, but withheld it knowing that her laughter would only insult the girl now. Instead Shizuru repeated the previous question. Although she knew the answer already, she still preferred to hear it from the said person.

"You have not told me your name yet. I told you mine so it is only right that you tell me yours.'

Natsuki had no intention of answering the beaming woman before her. In fact, if she could move her once kicking legs, she'd be off running away, but before she could run her mouth spoke for her.

"Kuga…Kuga Natsuki."

Natsuki frowned and wondered why did she even tell Shizuru her name?

Shizuru jokingly asked, "Well Kuga-san, may I ask what made you so angry that led you to wreck the old thing?"

Hearing this question reminded her of the anger and bitterness she previously felt. Natsuki's mood darkened and eyes became hollow.

Shizuru felt the air around her become colder and the atmosphere turn icy. She noticed the aura surrounding Natsuki drastically change. Apparently the situation was more serious than she thought.

"I'm sorry I no intention of offending you."

"No, it's not your fault…It's…nothing." By this time Natsuki desperately wanted to run away, but did not have the nerve to leave. She turned back around to face Shizuru to look into those entrancing crimson pools.

Shizuru was unsure of what drove her to this point, but she could not leave the miserable girl alone anymore. When she looked in the girl's green eyes, she could see the overwhelming feelings. This girl was experiencing something terrible and all she desired was to provide some comfort.

Shizuru was never known to get involved in other's problems, in fact she avoided them as much as possible, but this time she couldn't let this child go. Shizuru quickly grabbed Natsuki's hand, ignoring the peculiar jolt that ran up her arm, and said,

"Kuga-san, come with me."

The tone of her voice was gentle and kind, not demanding in the least. Her mind screamed no, but her heart was being pulled at the woman's compelling voice. She was never one to listen to other people's commands, but nevertheless her legs moved toward the chestnut haired woman and obediently followed a few steps behind.

Shizuru led them to a quiet spot not too far away. She was familiar with the area since it was the same place she was the night before. The same park, same spot, and same bench.

Shizuru left in a hurry to find the location of all the noise, so her belongings were left behind with her guitar laying on the bench.

She walked over, grabbed her guitar and sat down. Natsuki on the other hand remained standing while staring at Shizuru.

"Why did you bring me here?"

Silence

"Look if you're not gonna talk I'm leav-"

"Listen." Shizuru interrupted.

Natsuki coldly stared at the woman.

Shizuru ignored the look and nonchalantly made a humming noise while rummaging through her back pack.

"I want you to listen." She pulled out a purple guitar pick and softly played.

'_This song…'_

"This song has always helped me when I felt discouraged. It is a beautiful and powerful song, but I think it's missing a certain touch. "

Natsuki recognized the song immediately. It was this song that had caught Natsuki's attention the day before. She listened to the slow rhythm and the deep tone and allowed the melody to flow through her.

The notes filled her ears and pulled at her heart. All the emotions she felt throughout the day familiarized themselves with the song.

The song pulled her along, and every strum of the strings stung her heart. Natsuki wanted to scream out and yell in anger. She wanted to cover her ears and escape, but the guitar's distressing melody encased her.

'_Stop….please stop…'_

The sorrow expressed through the song became too much. She wanted to ask the woman to quit her playing, but no words formed. Instead her disobedient mouth produced a low lyrical sound.

Shizuru spoke to her through the song, and finally, Natsuki responded.

Her hatred for singing was completely forgotten as a beautiful lulling voice accompanied the guitar. There were no words. For this song, lyrics were unnecessary. Natsuki matched her voice with guitar's pitch and key and followed along.

Natsuki didn't know why she had started to sing with the guitar's hypnotizing notes, and neither did she care.

Shizuru's playing became louder, and Natsuki's voice more powerful. Too involved with her singing, Natsuki failed to realize the few runaway tears that had left her eyes. The tears continued to stream down her cheeks. Her face became drenched but not from tears alone.

It started to rain.

Both women took no notice of the weather's sudden change. Shizuru was too amazed by the Natsuki's ability to voice such beautiful but heart breaking emotion. Natsuki was too absorbed by the grief and sorrow their song cried out.

Together Shizuru and Natsuki lost themselves to the music. For how long this continued was unknown to them.

Thunder clapped and ringed loudly in their ears thus breaking both women's concentration. Now that Shizuru had stopped playing and had time to take everything in, she realized what she needed all along

'_She is the missing piece.'_

Natsuki abruptly stopped her lamenting and fell to her knees emotionally drained.

(A/N) Wow freakishly long chapter for me. Eh, not completely satisfied with the last scene. I wanted to make it really emotional...but ugh whatever. I'm starting to worry. I really hope my writing style isn't too confusing. I tend to jump around a lot, so please let me know if you get lost or have trouble following along. Please, Please tell me if you are.

Anyways, I hope different questions are running through your minds.

Also, I may post more fanart in the future. Depends on my mood and level of *cough* motivation *cough* ^_^

Let me know what you think of this chapter. Reviews, comments, and suggestions are greatly appreciated!


End file.
